Tell them that you are a patient of Dr Alex Vasquez and they will let you purchase any product from their line of products and will ship directly to you:

• Phone: 1-800-231-5777
• Local: 281-344-0909
• Fax: 281-344-0725

Office visits in Houston can be made by calling the office at 713.840.9355 and scheduling with either Dr. Manso or Dr. Diaz.

• May 2001: Emerson Ecologics no longer carries products from Thorne Research.
• March 2006: If you need to order from Biotics Research, just call them directly (Phone: 1-800-231-5777 Local: 281-344-0909) and let them know you are a patient who has seen "Dr Vasquez" and they will ship directly to you.

 

Introduction:  You can think of Emerson Ecologics as a "nutritional pharmacy."  They provide nutritional and botanical products only to licensed healthcare providers and registered pharmacies.  They carry a large assortment of  products from many different pharmaceutical companies (listed and linked lower on this page), and they import many of the specialty items that I use from Europe, especially Murdock Madaus Schwabe from Germany.

I will continue to order selected products from Emerson Ecologics for my patients.  However, I realize that I am not always able to predict who will need which product(s) at a given time, and that your making a trip back to the office just to pick up products is not always convenient for you (especially for my patients living in Mexico, Florida, and New York).  I have therefore arranged with Emerson Ecologics to allow you to order directly from them when you need to refill the healthcare items that you use.  This is another way of providing you with additional empowerment and autonomy with regard to your health--allowing you direct access to the companies that make the products that produce results.  These are high-quality companies that produce the best products available; with only a few exceptions, these companies sell only via licensed physicians and registered pharmacies.

 

How this works:  You now have access to thousands of the highest quality health supplements available only to physicians.  By working together, we can help you have access to whatever you want, and the products are sent directly to you.  Orders received by 5:30 PM EST are sent out the same day, for delivery in one to three business days anywhere in the country.  You can also have products sent to arrive overnight.

 

Risks and benefits:  The benefits to this program are: 1) you now have access to just about any natural medicine product that you want, 2) you get to have the convenience of having products sent directly to you, 3) you can get refills and new products anytime you want, 4) you get all of this at less-than-retail prices because I arranged a 15% discount for all my patients.

The risks include not being supervised with regard to what you are doing, and potentially running in to problems.  If you deviate from your treatment plan, then you put yourself at risk for complications and harm.  Examples:

Supplementation with vitamins and minerals is almost always safe when done correctly. However, there are a few considerations that everyone should be aware of when supplementing with vitamins and minerals.
 

1.  Iron is potentially harmful. Iron promotes the formation of "free radicals" and is thus implicated in several diseases, such as infections, cancer, liver disease, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. You should not consume iron supplements unless you have been diagnosed with iron deficiency (by measurement of a blood test called "serum ferritin." For additional information consult your healthcare provider and see my article at http://www.vix.com/menmag/alexiron.htm 
 

2.  Vitamin A is one of the only vitamins with the potential for serious toxicity. When taking vitamin supplements, you have to be careful that your vitamin A intake is not dangerously high. Your treatment plan may or may not include vitamin A, but it is important that you be aware of the potential toxicity of vitamin A since low doses can be toxic over long periods of time. Women who are pregnant or might become pregnant and who are planning to carry the baby to full term delivery should not ingest more than 10,000 IU of vitamin A per day. Vitamin A toxicity is seen with chronic ingestion of therapeutic doses (25,000 for 6 years or 100,000 IU for 2.5 years ) and manifests as: skin problems (dry skin, flaking skin, chapped or split lips, red skin rash, hair loss, joint pain, bone pain, headaches, anorexia (loss of appetite), edema (water retention, weight gain, swollen ankles, difficulty breathing), fatigue, and/or liver damage. Do not consume more than 25,000 IU of vitamin A per day for more than 2 months without express supervision by a healthcare provider. Vitamin A is present in some multivitamins, in cod liver oil, and in other supplements-read labels.
 

3.  Preexisting kidney problems (such as renal failure) greatly increase the risks associated with nutritional supplementation. Supplementation with vitamins and minerals does not cause kidney damage. However, if a patient already has kidney problems, then vitamin/mineral/protein supplementation may become hazardous. It is a good idea for all patients to be screened for kidney problems before beginning supplementation-this requires a blood test called a "metabolic panel" to measure kidney function by assessing three blood markers called "BUN, potassium, and creatinine." Conditions which cause kidney damage include: 
 

a. Use of medications that cause kidney failure-Tylenol, aspirin, and others.
b. Hypertension, high blood pressure
c. Diabetes
d. Use of recreational drugs, especially cocaine.
 

4. Some medications may adversely interact with vitamin/mineral supplements. Vitamins/minerals may reduce the effectiveness of some prescription medications. For example, taking the antibiotics doxycycline or tetracycline with calcium reduces absorption of the drug, therefore rendering the drug ineffective.  Kava mixed with benzodiazepine medications can result in coma.  Do not mix pharmaceutical medications with nutrients or botanical medicines without express permission of your healthcare provider. 

5. Pre-existing medical conditions may make supplementation unsafe. There are a few rare medical conditions that may cause supplementation to be unsafe. These can be assessed with the same "metabolic panel" of tests that are used to assess kidney function.

6.  Vitamins and minerals should generally be taken with food in order to eliminate the possibility of nausea.  Do not take vitamins and minerals on and empty stomach "between meals" unless you are specifically advised to do so or unless your experience has shown you that you can do this without getting an upset stomach.

 

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Additionally, some products are effective for a general class of conditions, yet they can mask serious conditions when used inappropriately in patients who have not been clinically assessed by a competent physician.  

For example, while glucosamine sulfate is an effective treatment for osteoarthritis, many people who assess themselves with osteoarthritis or who are diagnosed by a physician with osteoarthritis actually have a condition called hemochromatosis (a hereditary iron overload condition), which is a condition that can cause death if not diagnosed and treated early.  Thus, masking a serious condition by treating only the symptoms can actually contribute to a worse outcome than directly treating the underlying disease process.  Bottom line: it is important to be assessed completely and treated appropriately for the best outcome; masking the problem just by making the pain go away is not the right approach and can be dangerous.  (OK...I'll get off of my soapbox for now.)

Of course, there are many other potential risks and complications, so it is always best to have some supervision or assistance when using powerful interventions.  That is my job--getting you as healthy as possible while trying to make sure that no problems arise in the process.

Please be responsible (not "sophomoric") in the use of this convenient assess to products.  I encourage you to stay with your original treatment plan that we formulated in the office.  Making self-directed changes in your treatment plan may result in adverse effects.  If you want to add new products and treatments, please consult with me so that we can ensure that these treatments are appropriate for you.

 

Advanced Medical Nutrition, Inc.

 

Bio-Botanical Research, Inc.

 

MMS Pro

 

Gaia Herbs

 

NF Formulas, Inc.

 

Rx Vitamins

 

Proper Nutrition, Inc.